For Richer or Poorer
by Lieutenant Axel
Summary: "Someone's status in society shouldn't matter more than love... And there was that pesky four-lettered word again." Kyoya is being forced into an arranged marriage, but will he confess his to Haruhi, or himself, emotions in time? Details inside.
1. Chapter 1

_((This is part one of what I intend to be a multi-part story. I'm basing the continuation of this fanfiction on the feedback it recieves. I've had this story brewing in my head for weeks now, and I finally decided to get it all down._

_Also; Ranka will be referred to as "he". For trannies... it's really up to the individual's preference, and I base calling him "he" on the fact that Haruhi calls him "dad"._

_Please Review. This is my first crack at romance._

_Dedicated to Colonel-Zexion.))_

**Richer**

"Yes. He is incredibly smart. And for his age, very well developed…" Kyoya's father droned on to his associate. This meeting was guaranteed to end in either forced celebration, or overdramatic disappointment. The elder was trying to arrange a marriage, and while he had high hopes for the affair, Kyoya couldn't deem either worthy of anything but apathy.

Kyoya took the opportunity to dismiss himself. His father and the associate had long since ceased their meaningless chatter about his appearance, and it had been longer still since either of them had actually spoken to him. He made his way to his bedroom, stepping lightly to avoid drawing attention to himself. Upon reaching the room, he locked the door, then tossed himself unceremoniously to his bed. He sighed, running his slightly trembling fingers through his hair.

"Apathy" may have been no more than wishful thinking. In reality, (a reality that he shared with no one, mind you), the entire ordeal pissed him off to a degree that nothing else could or had. It hadn't been so long ago that his father's entire company had been ripped out from under him… Kyoya had proven his worth and ability to care for himself. Yet, he wasn't even given the freedom to choose his own bride.

_"I only want what's best for you."_

_"Your actions were impressive, but you are an Ootori nonetheless."_

_"You can't expect me to have you run off with some commoner?"_

His father had said all of these things, and more, in his attempt to justify the marital arrangement. Though one word made itself known amongst its plentiful cohorts. A word that burned and stung with its finality. A word that should have been meaningless. It had always been meaningless to him. It was a word used to describe those less fortunate than he was. A word for the masses of people he need not associate himself with, much less consider his friends. It was meaningless, and yet it brought along with it a dreaded pain he had never before experienced.

"Commoner…" he muttered to himself. "Commoner."

These three syllables… How could they affect him so drastically? The definition of "commoner" itself was entirely redundant to the actual situation. Someone's status in society shouldn't matter more than love.

And there was that pesky little word again. The four-lettered one that brought with it even more confusing internal debates than "commoner".

Kyoya sat up, sighing to himself. He needed air.

He stepped out of his room, absentmindedly loosening his tie as he made his way to the study. The study was a combination of a den and a library. Bookshelves lined the walls. A large desk was to the far left of the entrance. It had all of the essentials for a proper library, but the plush armchair and fireplace brought along the comfort of a den. The finishing touch to the room was the balcony. This is where Kyoya was headed.

He stepped outside, breathing in deeply as he did so. The balcony overlooked the courtyard, and gave a beautiful view of the gardens. More importantly, it was quiet. Silence was more important than nearly anything at the moment, and even if he had been there to enjoy the view, the approaching black clouds would have destroyed the urge instantly.

It was going to storm. Oh, how he wished the universe hadn't decided to provide ambiance for him specifically today. The storms also meant Haruhi wouldn't be sleeping well tonight.

Why did his thoughts keep drifting to that girl?

Sudden thunder interrupted his thoughts. He made a mental note to call her and warn her of the storm before taking one last breath and heading back inside. That was quite enough ambiance for the time being.

**Poorer**

_"Dad, I just don't understand why we have to move." Haruhi growled, stomping after her father. "What's wrong with where we live now?"_

_"I simply can't live here anymore, Haruhi." Ranka argued, flipping his hair over his shoulder to accommodate his purse. "And the job I've found near the new apartment is double the pay I'm making now."_

_"But Dad, I have to finish school at Ouran!" Haruhi protested._

_"You can. You'll just have to take the classes online. I'm sorry dear. It's what your mother would want."_

Haruhi sat up abruptly, gasping. This was the second time this nightmare had scared her awake. It was so short, but it embodied all of her greatest fears… being taken away from her friends. Her home. This apartment. It may not be big or glamorous, but this was her mother's home as well. Haruhi's mother lived here, which gave this place too much sentimental value to just… abandon. It seemed silly, but so did many of Haruhi's beliefs, she guessed.

She must have dozed off for longer than intended. It was dark outside. She stretched, yawning, and scanning the area for her cell phone. It had fallen off her bed, and somehow slid under it. Grunting with frustration, Haruhi strained to reach it, mentally cursing her small stature. As she reached for her phone, the sky flashed suddenly from nighttime to midday, the flash accompanied by an explosion of thunder.

Haruhi yelled in shock, falling from her bed and covering her ears. It wasn't nighttime. It was storming.

Her room fell back into silent darkness, but Haruhi didn't dare remove her hands from her ears. As expected, the storm began its angry rage, bringing with it one of Haruhi's most unshakable and childish fears. Thunder and lightning. Anyone who truly knew Haruhi knew of this fear. It was rooted in her memories of her childhood. Many children are afraid of thunder and lightening, but the majority of them had one thing Haruhi hadn't. Someone to tell them it was just thunder, or just God bowling, or something like that. It may have been trivial to someone who had actually been told these things, but for someone who had grown up without ever hearing it, it was very significant.

As distracted as she was by the storm, Haruhi felt something vibrate against her foot. It was her cell phone. Who in the name of God would-?

She pushed her phone closer to her with her foot, staring at it. The caller I.D. read "Kyoya-senpai".


	2. Part 2

_((Alright. Part 1 received enough positive feedback for me to continue with part 2. Thanks, everyone! _

_Side note: Haruhi is so cute! But... this update was a pain... :/ Please review!_

_Dedicated to Colonel-Zexion.))_

**Richer**

_Ring… Ring… Ring… "Hey, you've reached Haruhi! Sorry I can't get to the phone. Leave a message!" Beep._

"Haruhi, this is Kyoya. It's about to start storming rather badly in my area, so I assume it's already reached yours. I'm keeping an eye on the weather report. Call me if it clears up. Stay safe."

Kyoya hung up his cell phone, sighing. Perhaps he should just forget about it. It was only a thunderstorm, after all. How frightened could she be? But, for the sake of appearences, he sent her a text message repeating the voicemail.

He started down the hallway, heading to his room. He hadn't made much headway in this venture, however, before a hand grasped his shoulder firmly.

"Kyoya," his father started, "We need to have a talk."

Kyoya tensed slightly, though not in a detectable manner. His father's tone of voice was unsettling. Given the recent conversation between Father and the associate, this serious conversation could have been brought about by any number of scenarios currently flashing through Kyoya's head. Perhaps the arrangement was denied brutally? Perhaps the associate had dug up information on the host club and deemed it inappropriate, or even reputation-ruining? Or… perhaps the marriage had been scheduled?

Shaking these thoughts, each equally horrifying in its own sense, Kyoya faced his father.

"What is it, Father?" he asked, masking his nervousness.

"Are you still a part of that… what was it… 'Host Club'?" Father asked.

"Yes, sir. The Host Club is still in operation. Why?" Kyoya said.

"And you still spend time with that… commoner girl?" Father asked.

Kyoya hesitated, "Haruhi? Yes. She's still involved with the host club, but no longer serves our guests. Why?" he added a little more emphasis to 'why', annoyed that it had been previously ignored.

"I don't want you associating with that girl any longer, Kyoya." Father stated matter-of-factly. "She's a distraction, and you have a wedding to plan." he turned, starting down the stairs.

Kyoya froze in place. _"Don't want you associating with that girl... wedding to plan... wedding." _These words burrowed their way through his thoughts, reminicent of parasitic leeches determined to siphon everything of importance to him out of his life and leave him a hollow shell of what the host club, and Haruhi, had made him. He could barely breathe.

Suddenly, the silence was broken. "You can't take her away from me." Kyoya was slightly, unnoticably startled, especially when he realized that the words had come from him.

Father stopped on the stairs, turning toward Kyoya. "Excuse me?"

Kyoya cleared his throat. "You cannot take her away from me. I won't allow it." he maintained professional composure, though his eyes were narrowed by his anger.

Father chuckled slightly, making his way up the stairs at a leisure pace and standing in front of Kyoya. He placed a hand on his son's shoulder, smiling up at him, and uttering under his breath, "Watch me."

**Poorer**

The storm had gotten worse. Haruhi had curled into the fetal position, unable to move. Her phone had vibrated a few times, but how could she manage to answer Kyoya-senpai when her house was shaking from the thunder?

Kyoya must have been really worried about her. He never called anyone else when he knew something like this was going on, unless it was _really_ serious. He could try to fool everyone else, but deep down, Haruhi knew that he wasn't that bad. In fact... he was rather likeable.

A flash of lightening accompanied by booming thunder interrupted her thoughts. She jumped, even though it was less intense this time. The storm was dying down.

Haruhi gathered herself a bit. The thunder had quieted down significantly, and within a few minutes had reduced to a low purr. She took advantage of the calm and grabbed her phone, jumping onto her bed and sheilding herself under the covers. This helped hide her from the lightening.

She looked at her phone, ignoring the multiple voicemails that were undoubtedly from Tamaki and skipping straight to the only text message. It was from Kyoya-senpai. "I'm watching the weather report for you. Call me if this storm clears at all. Stay safe."

Haruhi felt her face heat up. He really was worried about her. This cheered her up significantly, though she couldn't exactly pinpoint why.

Okay, well, maybe she could. But her crush on Kyoya-senpai was most definately beside the point. The point was that he was worried about her, and she had no right to leave him hanging. Despite the storm, she still had full service on her cell phone, so she dialed his number and pressed "Call".

_Ring... Ring... Ring..._

"Hello?" a voice much deeper than Kyoya's answered.

"Uhm... H-hello? Is Kyoya-senpai there?" Haruhi responded, confused. She could have sworn she'd called his cell phone.

"He is. And he is available." the stranger said.

Haruhi grinned, "Oh, well that's good-"

"However," the stranger interrupted, "You may not speak to him. This is Kyoya's father, and I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't contact him again. He has a wedding to plan, and you are too much of a distraction. Thank you. Goodbye." _Click._

Haruhi froze, shocked by what she had just heared. A wedding? Kyoya-senpai... was getting married?


End file.
